Peter Kinder

Missouri’s Republican contest for governor has gotten less crowded — at least for now — as state Sen. Mike Parson has decided to run for the state’s No. 2 post instead. And on Monday, he released a list of supporters, including the state Senate's leadership.

Meanwhile, the GOP’s newest gubernatorial candidate — state Sen. Bob Dixon of Springfield — offered some details about his previously acknowledged past in the 1980s when he lived several years as a young gay man.

In an emailed statement to St. Louis Public Radio, Dixon blamed child abuse for what he called “teenage confusion.” He now is married, has three children and is a staunch social conservative who believes in traditional marriage.

Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder says that this time, he really is running for governor.

After several almost-runs over the past decade, Kinder told supporters Sunday that he’s committed this time to capturing state government's top job. If elected, he says he'll improve the state, particularly when it comes to education, employment, ethics and health care. But his chief focus at this campaign kickoff on a hot parking lot near last summer’s unrest in Ferguson was to promise "No more Fergusons, never again.”

State Rep. Tommie Pierson is keenly aware that Missouri has never elected a black statewide officeholder in its history. And he’s decided to do something about it.

The Bellefontaine Neighbors Democrat and senior pastor at Greater St. Mark Family Church told St. Louis Public Radio Tuesday he would forgo another term in the Missouri House and run for lieutenant governor next year. He said he’s making his run with history in mind.

On this week’s edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome GOP political consultant David Barklage to the program for the first time.

The Cape Girardeau native possesses a two-fold claim to political fame: He played a big role in building big Republican majorities in the Missouri Senate and he long served as a key political adviser to Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

Barklage is part owner of the consulting firm Barklage Knodell, with offices in St. Louis and Jefferson City.

On this week’s edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies interview one of the many Republicans considering a bid for governor in 2016 – John Brunner.

With a fateful grand jury decision expected any day, Gov. Jay Nixon swore in 16 people to serve on the so-called Ferguson Commission. It's a group charged with studying the underlying social and economic conditions that sparked protests over the death of Michael Brown.

Law-enforcement response to the unrest in Ferguson is generating a congressional hearing into “militarized’’ police, and a call for a bipartisan state committee to review the state response.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., says she’s planning a September hearing of the Subcommittee on Financial & Contracting Oversight, which she chairs, “to examine federal programs that enable local police departments to acquire military equipment.”

St. Louis Public Radio reporters Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies continue their mini-series on Missouri’s top behind-the-scenes players. For this week’s show, Rosenbaum and Mannies welcomed Republican political consultant James Harris to the show.

Missouri's Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, weighed in on a St. Louis matter Monday. He took the stand on behalf of Lyft in a court hearing over whether or not the ride sharing app should be considered a car or a taxicab. In his testimony, Kinder explained how he tried to book a Lyft car a few weeks ago, only to learn, to his dismay, that St. Louis's taxi commission was blocking the startup.

In the midst of his second term, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has continued to travel the state to promote his agenda for the state. He has heightened his profile even more in recent days, as he has blasted a tax-cut proposal that the General Assembly has landed on his desk.

But Nixon has effectively dropped one activity that used to take up a lot of his time: campaign fundraising.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder’s office in the Missouri Capitol is just around the corner from the official quarters of Gov. Jay Nixon.

But they might just as well be in different universes.

At least that’s the view of Kinder, a Republican, who on Wednesday vented about his long-standing lack of communication with Nixon, a Democrat. Kinder believes their non-relationship has had a negative impact on public policy.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, chair of the Missouri General Assembly’s Black Caucus, is threatening to block Senate action on several of Gov. Jay Nixon’s key appointments because of the governor’s action to delay state tax breaks for several low-income housing projects.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican, joined Nasheed and several St. Louis officials at a news conference Monday to attack the governor’s participation in a deal to defuse Republican filibuster threats during the recent special legislative session in which tax breaks were approved for Boeing Co.

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon. - Many of Missouri’s best-known Republicans – present and past -- are gathering here in a couple weeks for a huge display of support for state Auditor Tom Schweich. His contest will be at the top of the Missouri ballot a year from now.

But some party activists already are privately speculating that the big-ticket gathering Nov. 17 at the Clayton home of business magnate Sam Fox also may signal a show of force behind Schweich should he decide to run for governor in 2016.

This article originally appeared in the St. Louis Beacon. - Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder issued a statement Friday afternoon announcing that he is dropping plans to run next year for the 8th congressional district seat now held by fellow Republican Jason Smith.

Kinder’s decision marks at least the third time when he’s publicly declared plans to run for office and then backed off.

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: When Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder spoke at this weekend’s regional Conservative Political Action Conference, he contended that part of "staying on offense" included trying to make Missouri a "right to work" state.

This article originally appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: In the midst of the congressional battle that led to the federal government shutdown, Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has announced that he’s likely to challenge a fellow Republican -- U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem -- next year.

Kinder, from Cape Girardeau, didn’t mention Smith but instead referred to “out-of-touch Washington elites” as he declared that he has signed the federal paperwork to set up an exploratory committee – a move that will allow the three-term lieutenant governor to raise campaign money.

Thousands of conservatives attended CPAC St. Louis on Saturday to listen to more than 40 conservative leaders and rising stars. There were a number of last-minute speaking cancellations for the conference. Members of the US House had to stay in DC to work on a fix to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri also cancelled, saying he was working on a deal even though the Senate wasn’t in session. That decision drew the ire of many conservatives.

Every week, St. Louis Public Radio’s Chris McDaniel joins the St. Louis Beacon’s Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about the week’s politics.

On this week's episode: The results from the mayoral primary are in. Why did Reed lose? Did Slay win by as much as he had hoped? Then Jo shares some stories from Democrat Days and we close it out with Lt. Governor Peter Kinder's lawsuit.

A lawsuit has been filed in the Missouri Bootheel accusing the state of wrongfully requiring digital copies of vital records.

The plaintiff, Eric Griffin of Stoddard County, was seeking a conceal carry endorsement. He says officials at his local license fee office told him that in order to receive it, his application, birth certificate and residency documents would have to be digitally scanned and stored by the Missouri Department of Revenue. Lt. Governor Peter Kinder (R) says any license fee office that makes that demand is breaking the law.

Jason Rosenbaum is out this week, so we have St. Louis Public Radio's Marshall Griffin filling in. Marshall joins Jo Mannies of the St. Louis Beacon and Chris McDaniel of St. Louis Public Radio to discuss the week in politics.

On this week's show: the special elections bill that's speeding through the statehouse, the early morning voter ID committee and the $6 million plane.

Editor's note: after the recording, the voter ID committee was pushed back to 8 a.m.

Updated at 2:28 with announcement of the date of the special election.

As expected, U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson submitted her letter of resignation to Governor Jay Nixon and House speaker John Boehner on Tuesday. Emerson is leaving to become president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Now, Nixon must call for a special election to fill out the remainder of Emerson’s term.

Legislation to require special elections in Missouri to fill vacancies in statewide offices has cleared another hurdle.

The bill today easily passed the House Rules Committee and is expected to be debated on the floor of the House next week. If passed, House Bill 110 would only allow the governor to appoint a temporary placeholder if a statewide office is vacated, and that person would be ineligible to run in the special election to fill the vacancy. State Representative Jeff Roorda (D, Barnhart) sits on the Rules Committee and cast one of the few “no” votes.

A Missouri House committee has overwhelmingly passed legislation that would require special elections to fill vacancies in statewide offices.

House Bill 110 would require special elections if the office of Lt. Governor or any other statewide office is suddenly vacated. It would allow the Governor to only appoint a placeholder who would temporarily fill the office but not be eligible to run in the special election. It’s sponsored by House Speaker Pro-tem Jason Smith (R, Salem).